trying to pin down what we expect will happen. take a quick look at radar. around here, it's quiet. but down to our south and southwest, some moisture beginning to gather. low pressure sitting down here in southern georgia. moisture around the arkansas area. we do expect this to begin to make a move off to the north and northeast. take a look at this graphic. a couple of things still have to come together for this to do anything at all. right now, the latest information we have is this storm will be too far out to sea by the time it gets to our particular coastal area, which means it will probably affect the coast a lot more than anywhere inland. but it will certainly be cold this weekend. cannot rule out maybe some flakes. but looks like the bulk of this storm will be really probably affecting eastern new england. and not the mid-atlantic states. a little more on that. tim williams is joining us in the outback. tim? >> as bob mentioned, you can't rule out anything, until it's completely over and done. but thursday two graphics will give you an idea of the timing and what we expect. by late saturday night into

sunday morning, we're talking about 1:00 a.m. to just around dawn. we'll expect to see the system starting to glance the area and moving on by. so anything that starts starts to come down will be within this range. and we're expecting a coating to maybe a trace. from the lower eastern shore. across much of the state. things really start to taper off. maybe 1 to 3 inches in the proximity closest to the center of that storm. the lower eastern shore. and down toward the eastern edge of virginia. there you have it for right now. we'll continue to keep you updated now inside for your complete forecast with bob in just a moment. back inside. >> thank you, tim. wjz is always on. you'll find the latest on the forecast. and you can track live doppler radar on our website. we also have closings and delays on wjz.com. a sickening crime. a young boy attacked inside a baltimore county middle school bathroom. wjz is live. susan collins is uncovering the troubling new details about this attack.

suzanne? >> reporter: well, kai. the suspect told police that he looked over a number of children inside the school to select a victim. but the victim he picked was smart and brave and fought him off successfully. >> this is sean schleigh, 21, the man police say admitted sneaking into halliburton middle school yesterday, in hopes of having sex with a child. the details of the plot are retealed -- revealed today in these court papers. and they would terrify any parent or child. >> reporter: police saw him. they thought he was a student. inside, he told the teacher he was there to see his little brother. and she sent him to the office. but instead, in a confession to police, schleigh said he hung out in the children's bathroom, for almost an hour, watching children come and go, until he could select his prey. >> he waited specifically for a small, blond wild. >> the victim says schleigh

began punching him and stuffing a blue sock into his mouth. parents are worried how anyone with evil intent could get in and endanger our children. >> i think we made it more secure for our kids. because my son is right there. i don't know. what can i say? i get more in shock right now. >> reporter: new rules are in place. more questions will be asked of people at the door. and any change stranger -- strangers seen inside will be escorted to the office. >> one of the issues i've noticed is their office is all the way down at the end here. so you have to go through these doors and go basically all the way down the hall to get to the main office. >> reporter: schleigh's address and court record is this golf course in haferty grace -- havre de grace. >> the victim has a busted lip. he told police officers that he fought back when he thought of his mother and his sister at home. also, he says he's afraid to go in the bathroom again.

back to you on tv hill. >> suzanne, thank you. a judge refused to reduce schleigh's schleigh's million- dollar bail today. three generations of the satterfield family will be buried wednesday after services at the empowerment temple, amc church. the six relatives died tuesday morning. investigators are still trying to figure out how it started. a bigger and better convention center. that's the plan making rounds in baltimore. as the city seeks to capitalize in the popularity of first mariner arena. wjz is live. pat warren is in on what is-- more on what is driving the idea. >> reporter: that's right. it has long been considered that first mariner arena needed to be built. so some of the city's top government, civic and business leaders are saying, let's do it right. >> reporter: there's a billion- dollar idea. budding in baltimore circles. and at the convention center,

with a new arena alongside. there are a few hurdles to clear. the money, the timing and the space. >> it's a democracy. and for every three people, there are eight opinions. >> reporter: this was the big news in 1996. the last expansion of the convention center. >> i couldn't believe how large it is. >> you would not believe until you actually come inside for yourself. >> reporter: most recently, the city made news by building a hotel. the hilton. connecting to the convention center. but as you can see, there is not a lot of space left to work with. so part would include rebuilding the existing space. >> i anticipate having feedback, both positive and negative. my goal is to make sure that we capitalize on the momentum that has been growing with the success of first mariner. we have a great operation that is bringing world class talent to baltimore. and i think with the new

facility, we could even do more. >> the plan is so fresh, renderings of the proposal have not yet been released. >> reporter: and financing is likely to come from some kind of public private partnership. back to you. >> okay. pat, thank you. >> the project would take around 6 1/2 years to complete. suing the state several downtown property owners are trying to stop a big construction project. the property owners are suing two state agencies. now, they claim the state didn't get competitive bids before leasing office space to three public agencies. construction on the project is supposed to start next year. holding steady. no big changes in maryland's unemployment rate. the jobless rate stayed at just under 7 1/2%. maryland is still doing better than the rest of the country, by the way. the national unemployment rate is almost 10%. an overwhelming no vote for a union at bge.

utility workers voted about 4-1 to reject unionizing. now, this is the fourth time in 14 years that workers at bge have said no to the union effort. bge is one of the few utilities in the country that is still nonunion. bge executives successfully argued against the union, saying its workers are paid fairly and treated well. well, the best of the best. some local schools earn top marks as blue ribbon schools. mount washington elementary, one of six maryland schools to earn the special status today. winning schools are picked based on reaching the highest in state and national standards and for the most dramatic improvements. other local schools that made the list include savern severna park high school, towson high school, oklahoma road middle school, and lime kiln middle school. each will get $1,000 in equipment and cash.

you've heard the saying no good deed goes unpunished. alex demetrick reports on rescuers who are facing a fine. >> reporter: they struggled to get a deer out of the patapsco river. >> we saw the deer go under. it was starting to freeze. >> reporter: they joined in. >> we had oars and shovels. and we were trying to get the deer out. >> in the aftermath of the excited rescue. >> come on, girl. >> reporter: a natural resources officer on the scene wrote both men a ticket. >> he didn't say anything. we went in and out of the water numerous times. he didn't stop us at all. >> reporter: they say they weren't ticketed for not wearing life vests. although both are over the age for mandatory use of life vests. >> no, we didn't have them on. but we're not 16 years old. there were personal floating devices in the boat. >> reporter: natural resources didn't go on tv, but they said

they warned them they were breaking the law. >> they could have grabbed that boat and said, i told you, take it or you'll get locked up. but no, they didn't do that. >> they'll fight in court as they fought for the deer. >> i am not going to let an animal die. >> when we released the deer, it felt really good. and you can't ever replace that feeling to know that you saved an animal's life. >> the two men tell eyewitness news that they will fight the citations at a court hearing in annapolis in february. a showdown with the super bowl champs. the ravens are getting ready to host the new orleans this weekend. with play-off positioning on the line. stan saunders is at wjz.com for predictions. let me tell you, this was a pretty tough decision. my local tv and radio colleagues in town were all mixed up about how this game was going to turn out on sunday. but here's what we got. here we go.

i'm predicting 24-20, ravens. after a lot of immediateitation. mark has the same store but with the same on top. damon bulldog jaffey has it 33- 23 saints. scott garceau says saints by 4. and morning team over at 105.7, the fan, ed norris says ravens in a close one. and colleague has saints winning, 24-27. we'll have a lot more on this showdown come sunday downtown. >> thank you, stan. baltimore is a 1 1/2. point favorite in the game. what do you know? the grim sleeper as he's been called. the important evidence that could tie a serial killer to more murders. plus, royal snub. the couple left off the list for prince william's wing.

the county unveils new technology to keep track of how clean the streets are where you live. the story when you return. snow plows could be back on the radios this weekend. -- the roads this weekend. the areas most likely to see snow this weekend in your forecast. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

an agonizing decision for police in los angeles. they released graphic pictures of women who may have been known as grim sleeper. ben tracy reports for wjz.

police say they had to show these pictures to the public. for more than two decades, a string of murders went unsolved. all from a gritty section of south los angeles. police say the killer is this man, local mechanic, lonnie franklin, jr. who may have had more victims. >> lonnie franklin's reign of terror, in the city of los angeles, spanned well over two decades. and we certainly do not believe that we are so lucky or so good as to know all of his victims. >> reporter: he is known as the grim sleeper because police believe he took a 14-year hiatus on his killing sprees. it was a piece of pizza that linked him. when police followed him to his home this past july, they made an an aalarming discovery. mondays ever pictures of women. not knowing what happened to

them. >> our main concern is to identify these women. >> reporter: thursday, they posted the pictures to a website and are encouraging family and friends to come forward. >> there is someone's identity that we need to establish. there is some family in this city that goes without justice. and you will help us in achieving that for them. >> reporter: franklin could get the death penalty if convicted of the 10 murders he's already charged with. those cases may soon be solved. but now detectives are most concerned about the women seen in these 180 photographs and finding out whether or not they are still alive. >> these people are not suspects. we don't even know if they're victims. we need the public's help. the public must remember, these photos go back 20 and 30 years. people will change their appearance. people will have aged. we're very interested in identifying these individuals and speaking with them if at all possible. >> los angeles police have been inundated with phone calls they released the pictures. they expect to get 1,000 calls with tips by the end of the day.

a wild shootout, a houston jewelry store owner, turned the tables on three armed robbers. the three men burst into the store with guns and tied up the wife. they tried to tie up the owner as well. but that's when he pull the the gun out of his pants and shot them. police are still looking for a fourth suspect who may have been the getaway driver. stepped-up security on the washington metro system. metro police just started randomly searching riders' bags. they will check for hazardous materials. if you refuse to have your bag checked, you won't be allowed to bring it into the subway station. big changes are coming to power plant live. the entertainment district is in downtown in baltimore. is adding a permanent outdoor stage. we'll include large video screens in the 50-foot high glass canopy. the goal was to finish the project in time for next

summer's concert season. this is the first major renivation to power plant -- renaultivation to power plant live. -- renovation. today, you can keep up to date on the snow plowing in your area. >> reporter: it's already arrived ahead of schedule. >> apparently, winter does not officially begin until next tuesday. >> reporter: but as we found out, mother nature can't read. so back when the leaves were still on the trees, the county has been planning for just this kind of day and worse. >> whenever it arrives, we are ready. >> reporter: today, the talk is of enough money and salt to last the year. and a new website called snow fighter. >> and if you go take a look at the site. and it's up there now. we use the site to communicate from the events that we had with the snow removal. and we're currently updating as we speak. >> reporter: residents not only tell the county what is needed.

the county will tell residents how much snow is needed -- is removed. >> the chief even weighed in on shoveling out a parking spot on a public road. he says, you don't own that spot. but we all have to work together. >> be courteous or respectful of other that dig themselves out of a parking spot or create a parking spot. there is no ownership ownership to that parking spot. however, refrain from altercation. >> he knows that mismanaged snow cleanup has ruined careers. >> believe me, i know that. picking up the trash and moving the snow is an important example of a successful elected official. >> reporter: one final tip from the county, if we had blizzards like we did last year, they are suggesting you have at least a week of medications on hand. >> and you can follow baltimore county's snow removal process all winter. just go to wjz.com. click on the news tab at the top of the website.

>> all right. no snow. no snow. looks like for us. we may see a few flurries. ocean city. may get a couple of inches down there. take a look at temps and conditions. it's certainly cold enough for any moisture in here. 26 now. no wind at all. that's good news. the barometer on the way back up over the weekend after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

well, hope you enjoyed today's sunny but cool weather. at least it wasn't snowing out there. >> meteorologist bob turk is tracking some possible snow this weekend in your first warning forecast. >> possible. something is always possible. but for us, we're probably going to miss it for the baltimore region. looks like it's going to stay just to our south and southeast. ocean city, salisbury. chrisfield, you may see some snow. let's take a look at temps around the region. certainly conducive for snow once again. dew point only in the teens. and that's where the snow is made. 4,000 to 5,000 feet up. and the cloud layers. it can be above freezing. what happens, usually, temperatures begin to fall. it's cold aloft. and a little warmer at the surface. 19. yesterday was cold all day

long. everywhere. so the first flakes that fell stuck immediately. 19 oakland now. 30 in ocean city. 34, the warm spot in washington. 26 here. and the dew point at 15 degrees. right now, the winds are very light, just about everywhere. and it's not really going to be a major factor, until probably sunday afternoon. if you're at the ravens game, it could be a bit breezy. and it's only going to be in the low 30s. probably cloudy, but probably dry. here's the reason why. low pressure beginning to take shape here. also, another precip energy. getting some rain in southern california, by the way. and a little rain developing along the gulf coast. this whole batch of moisture is going to head down to the south. and eventually off the east coast. probably affecting eastern new england. particularly maine, which is warm by the way. maine has been like 6, 7- degrees. still some lake-effect snow tonight. light stuff. we have a few clouds around. now, tomorrow and tomorrow

night. watch to the south and southwest. that low pressure does develop. yes, it does become low- pressure, but it's moving offshore. see the computer model right there. maybe a little snow atlantic city. right through there. eastern long island. and literally, right along our coastal area. it may snow a few flurries. a little bit maybe around the cambridge area. west of the day. we may see a few snow showers. and that's about it. that would be late saturday night, early sunday morning. most of the day, really, will not be that bad. all of this activity. it finally moves away. and stays on the cold side. southeast winds, 5 knots. bay temp around 39. tonight, still a few clouds around. but generally, we'll see some moonlight. 20 by morning. clouds and sunshine. mid-30s once again on sunday. maybe you'll see a few snow flurries. that's about it. and good luck ravens on sunday. >> oh. we concur. >> dress warm. >> that's for sure. thank you, bob. we aren't the only ones

dealing with an early taste of winter, much of the east coast deals us an arctic blast. >> from maryland, down through much of the southeast. snow, freezing rain and ice, made travel treacherous. >> you know, i'm trying to make it here the best i can. and trying to take my time. >> slick roads caused hundreds of accidents. in north carolina, at least three people were killed. in virginia yesterday, state police responded to more than 1500 crashes. crews were out in full force. as many as 700 plows patrolled the roads in northern virginia alone. in one georgia neighborhood, simply crossing the street was dangerous. >> you could walk up the grass. but everybody had to crawl across the driveways. >> reporter: and this morning, the 100-year-old cleveland harbor west lighthouse is fa feeling the chill. completely encased in ice. >> that's unbelievable. the wintry weather caused dozens of delays today. denise, where did you eat

your lunch today? >> at home. >> okay. if you ate at the computer, chances are, you'll end up snacking more later tonight. researchers in england found that people who ate while playing a computer game didn't feel as full. similar studies have shown that the same thing happens when you eat in front of the tv. >> i'm guilty of that one. >> so now feel free. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. speaking out. the one thing that worries julian assange the most, now that he's out of jail. and his promise about his controversial whistle-blowing website. plus, compromise. the battle over your paycheck and what it means for your money. and shopping for bargains online. the special deals you'll find at hundreds of websites just for the next few hoursrs,,,,,,,,

stir it's 6:29. scattered clouds. good evening. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. an early christmas present for all americans. your taxes will not go up after president obama signs the bill today to extend the bush-era tax cuts. joel brown reports for wjz, not everyone is pleased with the deal.

>> there we go. >> this president's signature turned the tax cut compromise into law. the deal is hammered out with republicans, prevents a new year's day tax hike for millions of americans. >> this is real money that is going to make a real difference in people's lives. >> reporter: the house approved the plan late thursday, after a marathon of debate in closed- door deal making. the biggest critics were from the president's own party. >> the president has to understand that if he reaches out with a finger of bipartisanship, he's going to lose a pound of flesh in what he's going to have to give up. >> reporter: but liberals win a a failed tax hike on estate. unemployment benefits are extended 13 months. and most workers will get a one- year cut in social security taxes. >> reporter: with complaints from dem democrats.

if the deal favored the rich. they were counting on republican votes more than ever. it's likely to be a sign of things to come. >> reporter: the soon to be speaker of the house praised the bipartisanship. but warned that republicans won't just be satisfied with a temporary extension of the tax cut. >> two years is better than a tax hike on january 1st. but it will not end the uncertainty. >> reporter: both sides are sharpening their knives on the tax cut. two years from now, at the height of the next presidential campaign. joel brown, cbs news, the white house. >> reporter: the social security tax cut means that someone making $50,000 a year will have an extra $1,000 by this time next year. but some democratic lawmakers wor it -- worry it will make things worse for the royal plan. the royal guest list is done. and it steams that president obama and his family are not invited. it seems they will not receive

an invitation. a rep for the couple said the guest list is still being made. it could change any time. a day after being released on bail, the founder of wikileaks says he fears that the united states is getting ready to indict him. charlie d'agata reports for wjz. julian assange assange insists his website will continue to expose more secrets. >> reporter: julian assange says he is worried the u.s. is preparing to try him as a spy. >> we heard reports yesterday of a secret indictment has been made against me in the united states. >> reporter: the wikileaks founder is under what he calls high-tech house arrest at a friend's country mansion, three hours outside london, after being freed from a british jail on bail. >> very nice to be amongst good friends. you know, fresh snow in the english countreed side. to have my first martini. you know, in a long time. >> reporter: he'll remain at the 10-bedroom mansion on a sprawling 600af acre estate, as he fights extradition to sweden, to face charges he

raped and molested two wikileaks volunteers. assange told good morning america he's been set up and has text makes between the two women to prove it. he says he's the target of a smear campaign. backlash over his whistle- blowing website. and its release of thousands of secret u.s. documents. >> reporter: assange said he is far less worried about being extradited from britain to sweden, but from being extradited from sweden to the united states. >> the biggest fear is onward extradition to the united states. and that seems to be increasingly serious and increasingly likely. >> reporter: now he says that he's back at the helm, he'll speed up the release of documents that have caused so much embarrassment and outrage in the u.s. >> assange has been ordered to wear an electronic tag and report to police daily. a huge settlement in the

bernard madoff case. the widow of a florida philanthropist has agreed to return $7.2 billion in bogus profits to the victims of the fraud. he was her late husband. the single largest beneficiary of madoff's ponzi scheme. the settlement means many of the victims could get at least half of their money back. train trouble. the mta lists problems that went wrong on a marc train last june. but not all marylanders are on board with the answers. >> reporter: on a sweltering day in june this year, marc commuter train 538 broke down. also broken was this system as a whole. and rider confidence. >> it was 100-something degrees on this train. and it took two hours before the police would come on and remove the windows. what was marc doing? >> reporter: this new report says marc wasn't doing nearly enough. a consulting firm compiled months of data. amtrak -- >> amtrak is the contractor for us. but it's our service. and at the end of the day, we

are responsible for how it's run and the well-being of our passengers. and on that night, we let them down. >> reporter: the report details several problems, including a major equipment failure with the train. and lack of communication with amtrak and passengers upon. >> we've also started to talk to amtrak about perhaps changing the schedules and moving away from the longer train sets, 7 or 8 cars or 8 or 9 cars to perhaps 6 or 7 cars and adding more services. >> reporter: what's their responsibility to us as passengers? >> oh, to keep us notified. let us know. anything that is happening. you know, any kind of change. >> reporter: among the suggested improvements. having better service on hot days. better communication. and a focus on passenger comfort during emergencies. >> reporter: this report is 53 pages long. still some riders are not convinced that the mta dug deep enough in the efforts to fix marc's problems. >> my reaction was it tookix

six months to figure out they don't communicate well? gosh, way to go. >> reporter: one of the things we heard was customer comfort. you've got a train that is 90 degrees and no air conditioning, you want to make sure there's some water on board. so we began that almost immediately. >> the mta says it has already implemented many of the recommendations in the report. maryland's comptroller is asking you to shop local. ed the group visited local stores. by supporting local businesses during the holiday shopping season. every dollar that is spent in your store, 70 cents stays in baltimore. >> absolutely. >> and if you go to wal-mart, 30 cents. >> so far, they have made stops in stockton, bethesda, laurel, and st. michael's. as part of the shop local tour. move over, when it comes to

this. baltimore ranks at the top of the list. forbes lists baltimore at number 3, with only houston and dallas coming in ahead. new york city didn't even make the top 10. the creators of the list say they ranked it based on options, ease and affordability. if you have been thinking of shopping online, today, you have an extra incentive. it is the third year for the promotion. today's offer guarantees free delivery by christmas eve. many of the stores have no restrictions or minimum purchase requirements. time now for a quick look at some of the stories you'll find in tomorrow morning's edition of the baltimore sun. edgar allen poe's movie, the raven, made into an action thriller. commercial property owners file suit to stop the $1.5 million. expected to be built over the next decade.

for these stories and more, read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. if you're looking at holiday enchantment. the basement near noting hall is a world of make believe. you can see it all. there's even a wjz. it's free. all you need to do is bring a food donation. something that won't perish before christmas. it's open 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., weekdays. and 1:00 to 8:00 on the weekends. >> so festive. still to come on wjz's eyewitness news. stranded school bus. the unlikely problem that left this bus stuck in the middle of the road. getting his hands dirty. the household joy even president obama admits he has to do every now and again. bob turk in the first warning weather center. will we see any of us see any snow this weekend? we're have the exclusive first

warning five-day forecast. and here are the top stories on wjz.com at this hour. for updates on all the day's news, and the updated forecast, log onto wjz.com. [ female announcer ] dry, cracked hands? gold bond ultimate concentrated cream heals and protects like lotion can't. gold bond concentrated therapy. real medicine, ultimate healing.

a 6-inch water main break caused an unusual problem in florida. the front end of a school bus got caught in a sinkhole. two students and a driver were on board. no one was hurt. it took crews over an hour to hitch the bus to a tow truck and pull it out of a hole. one man's rampage leaves 14 people injured. a man stabbed six people today as they boarded commuter buses near tokyo. another eight were injured as they tried to escape. police arrested several suspects, -- the suspect after several passengers wrestled him to the ground. most were junior high and high school students. the shuttle discovery is on the launch pad, but it's not going anywhere any time soon. cracks developed during last month's launch attempt. engineers are checking gauges to see if they could find a reason for the problem. the shuttle's final mission has been put off until february at the earliest. he is the most powerful person in the world.

but that doesn't mean that president obama can get out of doing chores around the white house. sometimes i run around with bo. although i have to -- sometimes i have to scoop up his poop. >> ewww. >> because i don't want to just leave it in the lawn. so if you guys have a dog, you gotta walk your doing dog, too, and clean up after him a little bit. >> the president loves kids love no word better than they love poop. that's a different kind of mess than what the president is used to cleaning up. ha ha. after answering questions, the president read to the class from his new children's book, of thee i sing. katie couric has a preview of what's coming up tonight on the cbs evening news. imagine your life savings, plundered by the very company you paid to protect you. our special investigation finds out why it's happening. so that and more tonight. only on the cbs evening news. here's a look at tonight's closing numbers from wall

street. and we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

stiesh it's cool and clear in baltimore right now. but bob turk and meteorologist tim williams are tracking your weather. >> as far as cold goes, this is a couple night. it is cold. but definitely less wind than we've seen the past few days. going down to about 29 degrees. no real wind chill to talk about tonight. tomorrow, 20 with sunshine. we will get up to a daytime high in the mid-30s. clouds increase again yet thicken tomorrow night. and we'll have a chance of light flurries after midnight. >> as tim said, you may see some flurries on sunday. the bulk of that will be along the lower eastern shore. literally, salisbury, and that's about it. 35, 35 on sunday. chilly and breezy again. by monday, 34. 36 and 38. temperatures still running below average. maybe a little light snow is possible late in the day on tuesday, by the way. denise is this. >> thank you, bob. still to come on eyewitness news tonight.

preparing for the super pole champs. >> the biggest challenges for the ravens as they take on the saints, sunday.

when i saw all the jobs disappearing,

i knew i needed to find a better way to support my daughter. [ male announcer ] at age forty, greg flowers went back to school. [ greg ] i got a job as a computer applications engineer. [ male announcer ] but now, some in washington want regulations restricting access to career colleges and universities, denying opportunity to millions of people like greg, letting government decide who can go to college. it's my education, my job, it should be my choice. [ male announcer ] don't let washington get in the way.

stan, stan is almost alone, in thinking that the ravens are going to win. >> yeah, are the saints going to come in marching to baltimore? >> oh, they're going to come in marching. and they'll be very wrapped up in their fur coats and hats, too. it's going to be a close game. you know, the margin, they say, will be that close. >> just one obstacle womens itself between the ravens. i'm talking about the saints. they roll over baltimore this weekend, intend on rolling over the ravens. purple birds continued polishing their armor for sunday's great outdoor chill. former coach brian billick, along with team owner steve but shot -- bisciotti watched from the line. they take on the defending world champion champion saints and their quarterback drew brees. today, he was named 2010 male athlete of the year by associated press.

>> he definitely is one of the premiere quarterbacks in the league. and he's got the numbers to prove it. and not only that, he's got the hardware to prove it. >> you kind of watch him on tv. see the defense explode. they make a bunch of plays. and try to keep the offenses pretty much the same. reggie bush keeps back. and so they are just kind of coming back. and they're doing it at a right time. >> again, ravens, favored by 1 1/2. how about this bombshell. washington redskins quarterback. donovan mcnabb. in the multimegga deal has been benched. first year head coach, mike shanahan did. he wants to evaluate the other quarterbacks. apparently, this startling move doesn't matter. because the 5-8 skins, already eliminated from the play-offs this year. shanahan added that he's not sure whether mcnabb would be on the skins' roster next year. pro football from a night ago. moonlit.

picturesque. san diego, california. and steven jackson, making all of the right moves on this end zone snapshot. nice fast one. phillip rivers. watch him. huh? >> second quarter. san diego's kelley washington, heading the charge of the lightning brigade. but taking a hard fall on a tackle right there. san diego, meantime, winning last night's game, 34-7. they trailed kansas city by a half game in the afc west. as the 49ers fall. more college football news now. the first of today, rather. james franklin. no longer offensive coordinator. he was in line to inherit the head coach. he was named new head coach at vanderbilt. he becomes the first african american coach. it is his first head coaching job, by the way. let's go to the nba. san antonio's manu ginobili, warming up.

dunking over former towson star, gary neil. poor gary. later, ginobili off the glass. gives the spurs a lead. 4 seconds left now. baltimore's carmelo anthony. he was hit with an offensive foul on the play. and san antonio wins it, 113- 12. finally, 8th race at laurel today. and the horse out in front is called kappa shabba. a 3-year-old gelding. kappa shabba with 103 wins. with forest boys board. kappa schauba wins it, being 620, 280 and 280. scheduled to ride in 8 of nine tomorrow. witch hunter was third. >> and urgt to is a woman -- and fourth is a woman, in case people don't know. >> she's a jockey. thank you, stan. be right back. ,,,,,,

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stir be sure to watch the cbs friem people lineup tonight. catch tom sellick in blue bloods. finally tonight, santa and has helpers are busy getting everything ready for christmas. old st. nick took time out to

wish everyone a mare merry christmas. he says he's already gotten more than half a million letters from children. around the world. the bearded man has quite a bearded. says he still has a lot of packing to do before his big night, christmas eve. salvation army leaves a special special gift. the mystery donor dropped five checks worth a total of $100,000 in a kettle. each check had the name santa claus written on it. it's estimated that the secret santa has donated more than $450,000 to the salvation army over the last seven years. >> wonderful. isn't that great? that's it for us. back at 11:00, i'm denise koch. for bob and for stan, thank you for joining eyewitness news. don't go away, there's much more ahead on the cbs evening news with katie couric. we'll see you back here at 11:00, for eyewitness news aftete

>> couric: tonight, wikileaks founder julian assange out of jail and defiant. >> no doubt some prosecutors are seeking to gain a bit of fame and reputation by taking us on. but they're going to lose. >> couric: i'm katie couric. also tonight, a major tax deal is signed by the president. republicans are elated, but many democrats are deflated. google tells us how words have changed through the ages, giving us a window on the world. and a football player plays secret santa and gives the gift of life. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the founder of wikileaks is threatening to post still more secret documents. julian assange reported today to a police station outside london as part of his